Star Trek Voyager & Trigun 2: More Reminiscing
by Turles
Summary: This is the sequel to Star Trek Voyager & Trigun: Reminiscing. Vash the Stampede and the Borg Hugh have come to Earth, only for Vash to seek redemption for his crimes. Will he find it and will he see Voyager again? Find out.
1. Earth

****

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Star Trek Voyager, Trigun, or any other copyrighted information. All Copyrights belong to their respective owners. 

****

Reader's **Note:** This is a re-posting. 

Star Trek Voyager

&

Trigun

More Reminiscing

Chapter 1: Earth

****

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Inside the Federation Runabout _Angel Arm,_ Vash the Stampede and Hugh were making their way to Earth. Outside of the crafts windows they could see the red iron soaked soil faced planet Mars. It passed by like a road sign on a stretch of some abandoned super highway. They knew why they came all this way through all their hardships and time to this place, the Earth. They would be arriving at the little blue-green planet soon, yet for all the time that they had spent traveling it seemed as if it was an eternity to get there. Though to the crew of Voyager, Vash had thought about, it must have been an eternity longer.

"Our E.T.A. to Earth," Vash reported out loud, "is three minutes." 

Hugh noticed something in Vash's voice it sounded almost like regret for a moment. 

"Is something wrong Vash?" Hugh asked, "This is the place that we've been trying to reach for the past few years. To a normal human it would seem like such a long time to reach a place. Yet to us, time doesn't seem to affect us."

"I don't like the idea of being immortal, Hugh." Vash said, "But you're right, all the time that has passed everything around me has changed, yet I've remained the same." 

"That is true, Vash, but this is your choice. You wanted to come here, directly to Starfleet themselves."

"I know that I can not atone for my sins, but I hope to have some kind of redemption for what I've done." 

The computer console began to beep and out the windows Vash and Hugh saw the Earth. That same blue, green and white colored marble floating in a black sky. This was it, the prize that they had sought for so long. 

"Beginning re-entry." Vash stated as he piloted the Angel Arm down towards Earth. 

He knew from the database that was provided by the Angel Arm, that Starfleet Headquarters was located in San Francisco and that's in the continental United States. He made his way down and down closer to the planet until something was coming through. 

"We have a message coming through from the planet." Hugh reported

"Open the channel." Vash asked

The channel was open and a commanding voice called out, "Transport Angel Arm, state your business here on Earth." 

Vash answered, "I'm visiting Starfleet." 

"Business or pleasure?"

"Business." Vash stated

"You're clear for landing." 

The channel was closed and Vash laid back in his chair with an exhale, "That was easier than I thought." 

"I don't think it will be so easy when Starfleet finds a Borg Drone on this ship." 

"I don't know why they'd be so concerned with you, I'm even more guilty than the Borg."

Hugh looked at Vash both with his left Borg implanted eye that read biological scans and heat signatures as well as his original eye that simply showed a man in desperate times. 

"Yet, even in the most crucial of times you still fought the Borg, Vash. Remember when you lead the Borg away from Voyager. You did it because you didn't want to get Voyager involved in this fight."

"Yes, it's my own personal fight and one that I have to fight alone." 

Vash went back to looking at the controls and me made the adjustments as the _Angel Arm_ had entered the atmosphere. They never noticed the friction or the heat, the platting on the _Angel Arm_ was so super strong that neither Vash nor Hugh felt a thing as they made they're decent on San Francisco. 

San Francisco looked wonderful as they got closer and closer to the city. The most prominent feature that caught the eyes of Vash and Hugh was the Golden Gate Bridge. Hugh had received memories from those in Starfleet who were assimilated into the Borg of this place, but it didn't compare to actually seeing it. For a moment Hugh understood something about human nature, a thing that he was starting to learn. He learned that seeing or experiencing an event in the collective could never compare to experiencing it first hand. If only the rest of the collective could understand that.

At one end of the bridge was Starfleet headquarters. Vash piloted the _Angel Arm _towards it and like a car looking for a parking space in a mall parking lot, Vash tried to find a spot to land. He found one and as he did he opened a channel to whoever was listening to his voice. 

"Starfleet." He called, "Come in Starfleet." 

An answer was heard, "This is the office of Starfleet, state your business."

"My name is Vash the Stampede and I am a killer of the Borg. I wish to turn myself over to Starfleet immediately. I have a Borg drone with me named Hugh, who will back up my story."

"Could you give us your location sir?" 

"I'm at the shuttle landing area. Please, send your security forces, I'll come out peacefully." 

Vash closed the channel. 

"I hope you know what your doing Vash." Hugh stated his concern.

"I hope I do as well." Vash smiled

He opened the _Angel Arms _door and he stepped out into the warm sunlight of the Earth. In his red duster Vash felt the rush of heat, yet the heat didn't feel like that one his original world of Gunsmoke with its twin suns. It felt cooler here than back on that baron desert world. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his sunglasses, those John Lennon, round lens style sunglasses. He placed them on and looked out through yellow tinted vision, he saw people starting to come towards him. He looked and he saw a building that looked like it had been slanted backward with the doors slanting with it like an old time tornado shelter with space age technology. Above this place, Vash saw the sign that read, "Starfleet Headquarters."

"This is the place." Vash thought as he raised his hands to the sky with the people approaching him. He saw that they were carrying phaser rifles and all of them were pointing at him. 

"Where's the Borg?" Someone asked

Vash suddenly realized something, they were after Hugh instead of him, "Wait, shouldn't you be after me?" Vash asked

"We were ordered to bring the Borg into custody."

"Alright." Vash exhaled he turned inward to the craft, "Alright Hugh you can come out now."

Hugh walked out with his newly acquired walking skill that had become increasingly different than his Borg stepping. Vash turned around and saw all the phaser rifles pointing at Hugh now. He rose his hands into the air.

"Please, don't fire!" He pleaded, "The Borg drone can not harm you! His assimilation abilities have been stripped, but I'm the one you want, arrest me!"

"Take them both into custody!" A voice shouted

Vash couldn't tell who was calling the shots here but he didn't care all he wanted was to try to receive his own redemption for the death of the Borg. 

He felt a pair of hands take him by the shoulders and lead him into Starfleet Headquarters.

"At last." Vash thought, "I'm here. I just hope that Voyage will be able to get here soon."

What Vash didn't know was that on the other side of the Galaxy, Voyager was already making up a plan to get back home. The way home was through the technology of the Borg, using a thing that is called a _Transwarp Hub_. This hub would allow ships to go to anywhere in the galaxy in minutes, instantaneous travel across great distances. That was the route that Voyager was taking and at the time that they were making their crucial decision, Starfleet was arresting Vash and Hugh. 

****

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Vash sat in a nearly empty room. The only objects in this room were a table and two chairs. He was brought to this room shortly after he and Hugh were taken into custody. Vash was also chained at his wrists and ankles. Yet the chains were more advanced than the old fashioned chains he was used to. They were more like bars that ran from one wrist and ankle to the other. Vash was sure that Starfleet wasn't taking any chances. He pulled on the bars and looked at how they were securely locked together. He felt how the cuffs were pressing the material of his duster and brown jumpsuit against his skin. Under it he could already feel his skin begin to sweat as he waited. 

The door opened and in walked a Starfleet Admiral. His uniform in the colors of red, black and gold, on his color was pinned his rank of admiral. He looked at Vash with his old tempered eyes that asked the hundreds of questions to come. He took his seat across the table from Vash and began the interrogation. 

"Vash the Stampede?" He asked taking his seat, "I'm Admiral Paris. From what the security force told me, you turned yourself in freely. The Borg drone also turned himself in with you. So, you may start your explanation." 

Vash took in a deep breath and began his story.

"I already stated my name." He began, "My name is Vash the Stampede. I'm also known as the Humanoid Typhoon. However in the Delta Quadrant where the Borg dwell I am known as the Borg Killer, the Borg Slayer and Killer of the Collective. Even the Borg themselves fear me."

The Admirals eyebrows raised in amazement while his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. 

"How?" He asked, "could on man be feared by the federations most notorious enemy?"

"My friend, Hugh, The Borg drone has a memory module that contains my encounter with the Borg collective. I would like to request a review by Starfleet command for the validity of my story."

The Admirals mouth narrowed in an annoying expression, he was already teetering between believing this red coat stranger and believing that he was insane. The real question is, which is he? Admiral Paris was a man who would not keep his opinion to himself. 

"You're not in a position to ask for anything." He stated

"You would still hold a review to see whether I'm telling the truth or not, so we both want the same thing." 

Paris found himself in a stalemate. Either way a review would have to be held. Plus this man gave himself over willingly. So when this is over he'll be investigated by Starfleet Tactical or by Starfleet Medical.

Paris exhaled, "Alright. A review will be held. In the meantime our science team will look through the memory module in that Borg drone."

"Hugh." Vash interrupted, "His name is Hugh."

"Hugh." Paris corrected himself, "I'm also going to send a message to the Starship Enterprise-E about that drone. I happen to know that the crew has a history with that drone. They might want to see him."

"Thank you Admiral." Vash smiled

Paris had an odd reaction on his face. He looked as though he had never seen a smile on a mans face in his entire life. It was a repulsed look that was afraid of anything that was even the least bit enjoyable. 

"You're welcome." He said reluctantly. 

****

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Starfleet Review:

In a large open courtroom, Vash and Hugh stood in the middle of it and under a spotlight like being stars of the show. In front of them behind a long oak and marble table sat seven Starfleet Admirals. This was Starfleet Command. 

Each Admiral was of different race and gender. Sitting among them was Admiral Paris who spoke to Vash earlier. He looked at Vash and Hugh with that same suctions look that the other Admirals were displaying.

On the long oak and marble table were jugs and glasses of water, which were there for any surge of thirst. Among those jugs and glasses, where there should be a judge's gavel was a dome bell and a small hammer. 

Admiral Paris picked up the small hammer and rang the bell.

"Vash the Stampede." He began, "Under a few hours ago you came willingly into the custody of Starfleet command with the hope of being arrested. For the crime of what you consider being mass murder of the Borg. It is not common that an event such as this would happen, so new actions were to be taken. This review is not only to corroborate your story but also to determine your own future. How do you plead?"

"Guilty, Admiral Paris." Vash responded

"Are you ready to proceed?"

Vash stood with the handcuffs still on his wrists and ankles.

"Starfleet Command." He began, "I've been waiting for this for a long time. I've never been more ready in my life." 

"Mr. Vash." Admiral Paris began

As he did, Hugh looked around the room to see it filled with the faces of different races from across the Alpha Quadrant. There were Humans, Klingons, Vulcans, Andarians, Betazoid and Starfleet Officers of equal diversity. Yet Hugh saw disgust in their faces when he looked at them. Each seemed to convey a feeling of contempt and hatred. Hugh knew all too well why and who they were looking that way about. It was because Hugh was Borg and its that which gave hatred.

Among those contemptible and hating faces Hugh saw the most familiar faces he could see. It was the faces of the senior staff of the Enterprise-E; Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Dr. Crusher, Counselor Troi, Data, Worf, and Geordi. Those faces gave Hugh a smile; it was like seeing a rose bush among ragweed. 

Yet Hugh couldn't be distracted, he looked back to the long table of Admirals. 

"Mr. Vash." Admiral Paris had begun, "You submitted a piece of the Borg memory module. In it we found a file of you in an encounter with the Borg. This will be our Exhibit A."

Vash and Hugh looked to their left to where a black screen was embedded into the wall. It began to play that same memory that rang through their memories for a very long time.

They watched as Vash pulled out his gun and it began to form his Angel Arm. The long and gray scaly cannon arm that was alien to all those who watched it. Except for Vash and Hugh. 

The video ended with the same static, Vash and Hugh turned to look back at the panel of Admirals. They noticed each admiral was a mixture of amazement and disbelief of what they saw. At least until Admiral Paris spoke.

"Vash." He said, "Do you have anything to say about this?"

"I do." Vash spoke, "The weapon you have just seen is called _the Angel Arm_. It is the weapon that I've used that killed billions of Borg drones."

From the crowd came a wave of whispered. Each telling the other of what they thought about this in their own way.

"That leads to my exhibit B." Vash said, "My gun, the Colt .45 Long Barrel."

Admiral Paris picked up the gun and allowed the other Admirals to view the strange weapon. This odd piece of weaponry that looked so old yet was shinning a bright silver hue in the light of the courtroom. It fired like an old western Colt .45 but loaded it's bullets like a shotgun. Yet this was the very weapon that dealt a crushing blow to the Borg. Ironic that a weapon made in the fashion of the past could kill a future enemy. 

"So, you're saying," Admiral Paris clarified, "That this gun in your hands was responsible for the destruction of what could have been half of the Borg population?"

Vash looked mournful as if he knew both in his mind and heart that he would die. He took in a deep breath and in a short gasp as if he was about to burst in tears.

"Yes." He said, "I am solely responsible and I am prepared for any punishment that your law dictates."

The panel of Admirals looked at each other with confusion. Was this man serious? Was he that willing to admit to mass murder? Yes, it is the truth, Vash knew this and so did Hugh.

Vash continued to speak, "I've seen too much desolation in my time. I wanted to embrace peace but my path is always stained in blood and gun smoke. I've had enough, please, throw the book at me for my crimes."

Vash had his eyes closed, he felt the tears start to build like a bathtub overflowing. His ears were open and all he heard was his own heartbeat. Then his ears picked up what was the most inappropriate sound in that room. He heard applause. He opened his eyes and saw Admiral Paris standing up from behind the oak and marble table applauding Vash. Why? That was the question running through Vash's mind as the whole room started to applaud. 

Vash looked around him as if he were in some surreal nightmare. Why were they applauding? Vash asked that question demandingly.

"Why are you applauding?!" He demanded

Admiral Paris, who was a very serious man, was now laughing like a child.

"Punishment?" He laughed, "No, Vash the Stampede, you're an answer to prayers all over the alpha quadrant." 

Vash's face gave the expression of a cod fish, open mouth and wide eyes. The applause calmed down as Vash came up with his next question.

"How?" Vash asked

Admiral Paris had calmed won to explain, "For over a decade, we've been trying to find a way to fight and defend against the Borg indefinitely. Hundreds of worlds, thousands of ships and billions of lives have fallen to the Borg. We've all been praying for a miracle and now our miracle wants us to kill him. I say no, we'd like to hire you into Starfleet as our first line of defense against the Borg."

"I refuse!" Vash shouted. It was so high it was like a scream, "I came all these light years to receive my punishment and now I find that I'm being praised? I'm a murderer! I did it! I took their lives!"

"They were Borg, Vash." Paris consulted

"They were individuals robbed of their individuality! They deserved a chance!"

As Vash made his plea, he felt a very familiar hand on his left shoulder. It came down with a cold metallic shiver, yet had that same warmth that Vash knew.

Vash looked and saw Hugh's face. He shook his head, Hugh was telling Vash that resistance against Starfleet would be useless. The only thing that can be done now is to accept and embrace this new life.

Vash looked back up at Admiral Paris who still stood like a proud statue. Vash felt the warmth in his face as if he was about to cry, but he didn't''. He reached into his pocket with the cuffs still on. He pulled out his round yellow lens John Lennon style sunglasses. From behind the sunglasses he looked at the world through the yellow tint and he looked back up at the Admiral and smiled.

"I accept your offer now." Vash said

"What made you chance your mind?" Paris asked

"I realize now there's no escaping my own destiny. In the words of the Borg, resistance is futile."

The room once again started to overflow with applause from every side. 

To be continued…

****

Author's Notes: I made this story because I've had a lot of people saying that I should write more about what will happen to Vash and Hugh once they reach Earth. I know what will happen or what has happened when Voyager reaches home. So I made it so that Vash and Hugh reach Earth first, but they are going to get one hell of a surprise. 

I hope you've enjoyed the beginning of this story,

Come back and see the next chapter, when Vash meets the crew of the Enterprise-E. 


	2. Old Friends

****

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Star Trek Voyager, Trigun, or any other copyrighted information. All Copyrights belong to their respective owners. 

****

Reader's **Note:** This is a re-posting. 

Star Trek Voyager

&

Trigun

More Reminiscing

Chapter 2: Old Friends

****

Â 

Admiral Paris banged the gavel bell to calm the audience that was applauding the acceptance made by Vash the Stampede. He then sat back down with the distinguished look on his face.

"Before you're dismissed," he stated, "we have a few more questions for you."

"I'm listening." Vash said

"First of all, the Borg named Hugh, how did he come into your company?"  
Vash turned to Hugh, "Your turn." He smiled 

Hugh spoke, "A long time ago. Vash and I met. He said he needed a guide into Borg space. I was the best candidate available to him. We've been trekking across the galaxy now for the past five years."

"Why did you go to Borg space in the first place?" Paris asked leaning over the oak and marble table.

Vash took over, "sixteen years ago, I saved a little girl from the Borg. The girls name was Anika Hansen."

Suddenly the admirals were looking at each other from left to right. Each was trying to confirm the fact in their neighbors' eyes. They knew that name, Hansen. The first family to study the Borg up close. 

Vash continued, "I stayed with that girl for two months, but the Borg returned. They couldn't assimilate me, but they could still assimilate her. I fought hard but my weapons were still no use and I couldn't use the Angel Arm. I could have killed her in the process."

"So," Paris restated in his words, "You spent the last sixteen years searching for this one girl?"

Vash nodded.

"Sounds like trying to find a needle in a haystack of needles."

"Yes, my search seemed hopeless,' Vash stated mournfully reminiscing over those old days, "Until I encountered Voyager."

Admiral Paris didn't look surprised this time, "That was my next question," He said, "If you've made contact with Voyager."

Vash immediately answered, "Yes, I have that is where I found Anika Hansen. But she is now a former Borg drone. She is an individual but she was raised by the Borg."

Admiral Paris took in the information but something bugged him. It was like a splinter that couldn't be pulled out.

"If you found Anika Hansen, then why didn't you stay on Voyager?"

"The Borg were following me, I had put the lives on Voyager ahead of mine. SO I fled, leading the Borg away to fight on my own."

Admiral Paris smiled, "You'll be pleased to know that we've established contact with Voyager. So, I think you can send a message to them yourself."

Vash raised his head toward the ceiling and his lips said silently, "Thank you."

"First things first." Paris stated laying down the last items of the panel, "We've decided that the Borg Hugh might be a possible security risk. So we will have a guard with him at all times."

Vash looked at Hugh and saw no signs of objection from him. That meant that Hugh was all right with this security posting, but that wasn't all.

"However," Paris continued, "You, Vash are not a security risk, you will have your cuffs removed and weapon returned."

"I understand." Vash bowed his head

"Very well. Dismissed. Court is adjourned."

Paris picked up the hammer and rang the bell. When the small tone rang, everyone in the courtroom got up from their chairs and went their own ways. Vash and Hugh stayed where they were as the security guards took off Vash's handcuffs. As they were taken off, Vash felt the relief come back into his wrists. While he rubbed them, Hugh saw some very familiar faces walk towards him.

It was the faces of the Enterprise senior staff. Hugh stood waiting for them to arrive, how long had it been since he saw them? Time seems to be longer for an individual than a Borg drone.

On the other side of the courtroom, Captain Picard was getting an opinion on Vash the Stampede. At his side was the Ships Counselor Deanna Troi, a telepath or rather an empath. She could only sense was another person is feeling. Her ability to read minds is somewhat limited due to the fact that she's half Betazed. 

"Counselor?" Picard asked

Deanna looked at Vash as if she were concentrating on a Magic eye poster.

"He's difficult." She said, "It's hard to tell what he was feeling, but his emotions were clearly seen a few minutes ago. He's like a muddy pond, underneath it's hard to tell but the surface says enough. He was frightened, sad and angry with himself."

Picard shrugged, "He came for punishment, now he'll be Starfleets' indispensable man."

Then a greeting happened.

"Hugh!" Geordi called 

"Geordi." Hugh smiled

Geordi came closer as if he was about to hug the Borg.

"it's great to see you, Hugh." Geordi smiled

"It is good to see you too, Geordi."

Vash had finished nursing his wrists but then a figure caught his eye. He looked to his left and there in the audience seats of the courtroom was a dark skinned woman in a purple dress with a wide smile on her face. 

"Guinan." Vash asked

Picard heard Vash speak the name. He looked at Vash whose face light up and then he dashed like a lizard on a hot rock away from the Enterprise senior staff to the woman in purple.

Vash opened his arms and hugged the purple dressed woman. He was smiling and had tears of joy running down his face. 

The purple dressed woman was named Guinan, a bartender on the Enterprise but she was also an unofficial captain's advisor. She hugged Vash tightly.

Vash pulled away and smiled, "My God, how long has it been?" He asked

"Too long, Vash the Stampede." Guinan smirked. 

Vash made a silly face, grabbed the sides of his head and said like a child, "I hate it when you call me by my full name!"

Guinan smiled, "Still you're old self despite from what I've heard. We've got some catching up to do, mister."

"Yes." 

****

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The Enterprise was making its orbit around the Earth while its senior staff were catching up with Hugh and getting to know Vash the Stampede. This gathering was held on the Enterprise' Ten-Forward. It was slightly different than the one on the Enterprise-D. It was sleeker while the wall behind the bar faded from scenes of a waterfall to a stream like sand from a solid surface being blown away.

Vash sat at the bar with a small glass of whiskey in his hand. Behind him was the senior staff gathered around Hugh. Discussing what he did in the space of time that he was away. Vash could only concentrate on the wall that showed the relaxing views of waterfalls, rivers, and ocean shores. As Vash became hypnotized, Guinan came into Vash's field of vision. 

"Well, Vash." She stated, "What is this about a woman you were looking for? She must be some woman for you to spend 16 years searching for her."

Vash looked down at the countertop, "She was Guinan." He said mournfully as if he had lost his best friend.

"As much as Rem or Meryl?" 

"Yes." Vash answered still staring at the countertop, "Makes me think about our kind Guinan. For people like myself we have to watch the ones we love die and yet we keep going. Never aging and never showing a single wrinkle of our age."

Guinan smiled, "I think Rem was right, you're extremely serious. You're the same man I met all those years ago."

Vash looked up at Guinan, "How long has it been?"

Guinan looked at the ceiling thinking about how long it had been since Vash and Guinan saw each other. 

"I'd say, 60 years." Guinan answered, "Give or take a decade." 

"Time really has no effect on us." Vash smiled, "The years mount into decades and decades build into centuries. Yet neither on of us has aged a bit."

"I think you'll like it here in Starfleet. You won't have to worry about money here." 

Vash looked at Guinan's eyes, which moved away to Vash's left. She leaned in and whispered so low that Vash thought it would be a secret.

"Look like you're going to meet someone special." She said

Vash looked behind him and saw a young woman with long brown hair that tapered down to her shoulders. Her deep brown eyes were so dark that one could swear that her entire iris was black. She smiled and that smile was like that of an Angel unseen by the eyes of any creature in the universe. Vash could see the blue color on her uniform, he knows that she had to belong to the medical field, but to which part was the mystery.

"I'm Counselor Deana Troi." She greeted

Vash's face light up as he gazed at this woman. At first he felt that this woman was just another Starfleet officer. It must have been the angel, because now Vash only saw a beautiful woman standing there. 

"I think you already know my name." Vash replied

"Yes, may I sit with you?"

"Sure."

Deana sat down next to Vash, but there was a momentary silence between the two of them until Vash broke it. He wanted to know something about Deana that she could only answer.

"Counselor." He said

"What?" Deana asked, even though her profession requires a good ear, she completely missed Vash. She couldn't figure it out, there was too much mystery that surrounded this man, and she needed to know the answers.

"You said you're a counselor. What exactly do you do here on this ship?"

"I'm the ships counselor, I counsel people. I'd like to talk about you, Mr. Vash."  
Vash smiled, "Id tell you, but I don't think you'd believe me."

Deana compromised, "What about you're name. Vash the Stampede is an unusual name for a man that I've heard."

"Just between you and me, my name's irrelevant."

Deana smiled again, "you're a very private man aren't you?"

"You could say that."

"I should level with you. I'm an empath, I read peoples emotions, and I couldn't sense anything from you in that courtroom. Yet you're emotions were very surface."

Vash shrugged, "I thought that's what women like, to have a man show his emotions instead of bury them."

Deana didn't know how to answer that, even with all the experience she had backing her up she couldn't think of anything inspiring for this moment. She became entranced in her own thoughts when suddenly a rude burst from the door came through.

"Deana!" The voice called

Vash's spine went from being hunched over the bar to being stiff and straight as a board. He looked over to his right at the sliding automatic doors for Ten-Forward and saw an older woman in the most fashioned and clad clothes he had ever seen. 

The woman herself was older than Deana, showing her signs of age with the wrinkles at the sides of her eyes and her mouth only slightly. Her hair was short, light brown and curly, and her dress was as purple as a royal robe that sparkles like the night sky itself.

"Mother." Deana said, 

Vash turned to look at Deana to see her face both shocked and nearly appalled. 

"She's your mother?" Vash asked

"Yes," Deana answered, then she leaned in towards Vash and said, "I have one piece of advice to you. Keep your thoughts under wraps. I'm not sure if you can keep them from her." 

"Alright."

Vash watched, he turned around in his chair with the glass of whiskey in his hand to watch whatever was about to unfold between the Counselor and her mother. He sipped the whiskey as it began.

"What are you doing here mother?" Deana asked, her face concerned, but it wasn't angry

Her mother had a face that spoke apathy, she didn't care one little bit about what was going on, all she cared about was what she wanted to know, "What was so important," She said, "That you were brought back to Earth?"

Deana looked as though she was practicing some sort of calming technique when she said, "We got the news that an old friend of ours was on Earth. A Borg Drone named Hugh."  
"Oh." Deana's mother gasped, "Borg, such awful creatures. They have no idea of what great delights there are without machines in our bodies."

Vash whispered as he sipped more of his whiskey, "Amen to that."  
He looked up and made eye contact with Deana's mother. He remembers the advice that Deana gave him, "keep your thoughts under wraps."

Deana's mother came over and stared at Vash for only a few moments. Vash felt almost like some kind of priceless statue being gawked by onlookers. 

"This is an unusual man." Deana's mother stated, "I can't read him at all, either he's a machine or he doesn't exist at all. What's your name?"

"Counselor." Vash called, "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Deana exhaled in annoyance, because it's a well-known fact that for Deana's mother to visit the enterprise is like going to the dentist, before the advent of painkillers. 

"This is my mother," Deana introduced, "Ambassador Laxwana Troi."

"Charmed." Laxwana smiled at Vash  
Vash introduced himself, "My name is Vash, Vash the Stampede."

Laxwana's eyebrows raised, "That's an odd name. Sounds like a gunslingers name."

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Vash said as he reached under his coat and pulled out his weapon, the Colt .45 Long Barrel. Thankfully when this small gathering occurred he removed all of his bullets in case he got drunk, even though it's all synthetic alcohol. 

"My!" Laxwana gasped holding her hand to her chest, "I've never seen such a weapon."

"It was given to me." Vash explained, "I think it's a good gun. It's gotten me out of some tough situations with the Borg."

"Borg?" Laxwana asked, "Why in hell would you go there?"

"Long story." Guinan answered from behind the bar.

As this conversation was about to continue, Vash saw from the corner of his eye the android named Data approach him. He watched the android with unusual precision. Vash was fascinated by Data because of the fact that Data is a completely sentient being, capable of independent thought, yet physically he's a machine, but he's more than that.

"Vash." Data called,

Vash holstered his gun and sipped the last of his whiskey feeling the ice against his lips. He placed the glass back onto the counter and looked towards Data.

"Yes, Data?" Vash asked

"We've received a transmission from someone at Starfleet Communications." Data reported, "A Lieutenant Reginald Barclay says he'd like to speak to you about Voyager, he's asked that Hugh be brought down as well."

"Voyager?" Vash asked, "I'll go immediately, but tell Hugh where I am in case if he asks."

"I will. Follow me, please." 

Vash followed Data and soon Hugh followed the two of them with an Enterprise security guard behind him like a shadow. The group headed out of Ten-Forward and down to where the Transporters were. The ones that were talking about Vash were Laxwana and Deana Troi. The two of them looked at each other.

"I wonder if Vash is like Data, an android." Laxwana postulated

Deana brought her hands in front of her and held them together, "I don't think so." She said, "Perhaps he's above a Betazoid and that's why we can't feel anything from him."

"Nonsense, dear."

****

Â 

Vash and Hugh stood on the transporter pad as they heard that key word, "energize." They watched the transporter room fade away from it's distinct colors and contrasts to light blue. This was being inside the matter stream, it was like being in water. The vision was blurry and endlessly blue, which only lasted for a few seconds. Then a new scene began to unfold. They saw a laboratory that was filled with what Vash and Hugh saw as communications equipment. The blue hue of the matter stream was gone and they were at Starfleets communications Center. The first people that greeted their eyes were security personnel. They circled around them and immediately Vash raised his hands. 

"We come in peace!" he cried

He looked and saw a smiling balding man come towards him. Vash could tell this man's rank was lieutenant from the pins on his yellow collar, which made Vash, think that he's either an engineer or a security officer. He had his hands clasped together as he approached Vash and Hugh. 

"I'm sorry about them, but security was needed."

Vash brought his hands down slowly; he was waiting for someone to order his hands back up into the air. With each inch, not a word was said until the lieutenant started.

"Let me introduce myself," He said, "I'm Lieutenant Reginald Barclay. I understand that you've come into contact with the Starship Voyager."

"Yes." Vash said slowly brining his hands to his sides.

"Come with me." Barclay invited

Hugh followed him while Vash was right behind him. The three of them walked through the lab while Barclay gave the tour.

"This is where we've been sending communications to Voyager. Though a satellite called the Midas Array and some…" Barclay stuttered, "tech… techniques of mine, we were able to talk to Voyager."

"How are they?" Vash asked.

"They said that they were alright, but the last transmission we received, they said that Neelix had left their crew."

Vash's face seemed to go white for a moment, "Neelix, Voyager's chef." He thought

Barclay continued, "they said that Neelix had found his own people."  
Vash smiled, "He found a home." 

As they discussed Voyager, a familiar voice came in.

"Mr. Barclay."  
Barclay stood at attention, stiff as a board.

"Admiral Paris." Barclay stated

Vash turned to look at the admiral.

"It's an impressive facility, wouldn't you agree Vash?" Admiral Paris asked

Vash nodded, "It is." He looked around and admired the beauty of all that was around him. A great deal of leaps and bounds has been made in Starfleet technology since Vash took the Runabout into open space. Evidence of that was all around him. 

Just then a loud beeping came from one of the consoles.

Barclay went to it and looked at the screen. His face went pale as he watched the screen as if he was receiving news of a dying relative.

"Admiral." He called, "We're detecting a transwarp exit aperture."

"Is it Borg?" He asked

"We're not sure but the neutrino emissions are off the scale."

Admiral Paris gave this first order in his head, "I want every available ship on that position."

Vash and Hugh looked at each other. A transwarp exit aperture. The two of them knew that it was Borg. There was only one thing left to do. They looked towards the Admiral.

"Admiral Paris." Vash stood at an awkward attention, "Permission to go to that aperture."

"Why Vash?" Paris asked sternly

"If it is Borg, then the first defense must be there."

Paris nodded, "Go, but go quickly."  
"Right." Vash said, "Vash to the Angel Arm, two to beam back!"

Vash and Hugh vanished before their very eyes. This was a result of Vash and Hugh's work. The two of them had build and installed a voice-activated module for the Runabout _Angel Arm._ Anything from course corrections to direct transporter actions could be made with a voice command. 

The two found themselves back on the Angel Arm and Vash dashed to the controls and fired up the engines. The Angel Arm took off quickly into space and with a few commands, the Angel Arm was heading Transwarp speed to the exit aperture. At their speed it would take them under 20 seconds to get there.

"An exit aperture." Vash stated, "It must be that Transwarp Hub in Borg space."

"Yes." Hugh agreed, "The question is what could come through it. If it is Borg then you must fight again."

"I know, but something tells me that it's not the Borg."

"Either way, we must be ready."

****

To be continued…

Author's Notes: I've been a fan of both Star Trek Voyager and Next Generation. But I've always hear arguments from both sides of who was the better captain, better ship, better crew and better show. So much that I said to myself, "Hell with it, I'll like them both". So that's what I've done, now it seems that Vash has made a jump from being in the company of the voyager crew to being in the company of the Enterprise-E crew. Though danger is approaching over the horizon and it's not from the Borg. 

Come back and see the next chapter with the danger approaching ever closer.


	3. Homecoming

****

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Star Trek Voyager, Trigun, or any other copyrighted information. All Copyrights belong to their respective owners. 

****

Reader's **Note:** This is a re-posting. 

Star Trek Voyager

&

Trigun

More Reminiscing

Chapter 3: Homecoming

****

Â 

At the transwarp exit aperture there was a swarm of federation ships, Galaxy class, Akira class as well as the Prometheus class. All of them waited for whatever was going to come out of that hole in space. Even the little Runabout was there, carrying the Federations most deadly weapon against the Borg.

The ships waited, and something came out. Out of that hold in space a Borg sphere appeared like a bowling ball out of the retrieval ramp. Immediately every ship had their shields up, phasers powered and were on full red alert. Even though it was only a sphere, all the technology and brainwork running through it is feared by every man, woman and child in every ship that gathered around the sphere. 

As all weapons focused in on the sphere, it began to combust. It exploded in space, but something was emerging from the sphere. It was like watching a ship come through the thick fog at sea, yet faster.

Out of the sphere's explosion emerged Voyager. That same old Intrepid Class starship came out with triumphant speed. It was truly a sight for sore eyes, even to those of Vash the Stampede. He knew in his heart that somewhere on that ship was Seven, Anika, he never looked forward to anything in his life. 

Vash scrambled for the hailing button and the channel was open. He spoke, tripping over his words, and knowing that Seven would be listening.

The first thing he saw on the communications screen was the bridge of Voyager as if he was standing in front of the view screen. Vash felt tongue tied, but the only word that came out was the most simply of all.

"Hello!" He called with a smile on his face

He saw them all, Janeway, Chakotay, Harry, Tom, Tuvok, and Seven. He saw their faces and it filled him with joy. It filled him like an empty ocean needing its water.

"Hello Vash." Janeway greeted, "I knew our paths would cross in the Alpha Quadrant."

"And I knew that I'd see all of you again." Vash looked towards Seven, "and hello to you Seven. It's good to see you."  
Seven smiled, "It is good to see you too, Vash."  
"I'm sure we have a lot of catching up to do."

****

Â 

This was a true event, unlike those events that all those officers had in their academy days. This was a real reason to celebrate, Voyager had returned home. The welcome home party was held at Starfleet Headquarters. The crew of Voyager, the Enterprise-E, their family and friends were there. Including Vash and Hugh, they too wanted to enjoy the event. Even though there were some of those who were a little uncomfortable with Hugh around, along with the extra security guards there. Yet to some it didn't disturb them as much.

At this event some of the greatest members of Starfleet were meeting each other.

Janeway saw Picard from across the crowded room. She wanted to talk to him, her reasons varied from the personal logs she read of his about the Borg to just meeting another Captain.

"Captain Janeway." Picard smiled

"Captain Picard, pleasure to meet you." Janeway reciprocated

"It is an honor to meet you." Picard shook Janeway's hand, "I've admired your determination to get your crew home, even though the odds were stacked against you."

Janeway shrugged, "I did what any captain would have done in my place. But I really should thank you, because of your logs I was able to face the Borg."  
"That is the most surprising, that you've fought the Borg, how did you do it?"

Janeway casually waved her hand, "It's a long story, but I did have help from that red coat man, Vash the Stampede."

"Yes." Picard agreed, "Vash is an unusual man, but you and I share something in common."

"What's that?" Janeway smiled

"We've both have had a Borg as a… shall we say friend. Mine is Hugh to some of my crew members and yours is your crew member, Seven of Nine."

"She is a valuable asset to me."

Picard's eyes seemed to move across the room, "It seems that Vash is conversing with your Seven right now."

Janeway's looked and saw Vash hugging Seven like a long lost lover and she smiled, "They have a history together."

****

Â 

Across the room among the hubbub and commotion of the party, Vash and Seven were enjoying each other. They were locked in each other's arms, it was as if they were pledging never to leave one another or perhaps one of them would cry at any moment. 

Vash whispered only loud enough for Seven to hear, "I've missed you so much."

"So have I." Seven replied. Her voice was crackling as if she were about to cry using Vash coat as her handkerchief.

"I'm sorry that I had to leave Seven, but there was no other way."

As the two held each other, Seven heard the voice of someone that she had become quite fond of.

"Seven." Chakotay's voice called out

Seven quickly regained herself as if she was just woken up, she looked over at Chakotay.

"Yes?" She asked

"There are some people from Starfleet who'd like to ask you a few questions." Chakotay had this thumb out pointing to the back as if he were a hitchhiker. 

"Alright." Seven agreed as she gave one last hug to Vash and headed off into the background as if she were a mirage. She vanished into the crowd, all that was left of this trio was between Vash and Chakotay. The two of them looked into each others eyes and the background of celebrating people around them just turned gray like being locked into watching a television show. They were staring down at each other like two gunslingers meeting for high noon.

"She's your girl now?" Vash asked

"As a matter of fact." Chakotay began, "She is, and I think it would be best for her if she weren't with you."

Vash's eyebrows raised, "Being a little protective aren't you?"

Chakotay came closer and pointed his finger into Vash's chest; "You're simply a man from her past, a past that she doesn't remember very well. Then one day you show up and expect some kind of relationship between the two of you? I'm sorry that's not how it works out."

"I don't care how it works out," Vash's eyes narrowed, "All I care about is her, that's all that matters to me in this chaotic universe. I'm sure you know that of all people and I'm willing to fight for her."

"If you feel that strongly about it, Vash the Stampede, then why not duel me?"

Vash smiled, "A duel, sounds a lot like the old days. Alright I'll accept, you choose the location and I choose the weapons, agreed?" Vash held out his hand in a shaking gesture. He hoped that Chakotay would comply and he did so. 

"Agreed." Chakotay said, "this is simply a duel for Seven and nothing else, it's nothing personal, you understand?"  
"Completely."

****

Â 

The duel was to be held on Holodeck 3 of the Starship Enterprise-E. The reason for this was that this Holodeck had the best hologram technology available to Starfleet. Plus with some help from the captain the safety protocols will stay on, because this is simply a duel to see who is better. 

Vash and Chakotay stood at the enormous interlocking doors to the Holodeck, no one else was there. This was their battleground, no one else was to get involved. Chakotay had set the battleground and now Vash was to select the weapons.

"What did you choose?" Chakotay asked

Vash pulled out his silver Colt .45 Long Barrel, and he pulled out another gun with his left hand and in that hand he held a copy of the Colt .45 Long Barrel, except it was black. The metal was as black as a moonless night. The only inscriptions that could be made out on it were the same as Vash's gun, Colt .45 Long Barrel. 

"This was my brothers gun." Vash said, "I'd rather die at the hands of my brothers gun than any other weapon ever made."

He held out the black gun to Chakotay, he looked at its gleaming old fashioned metal. It fascinated him. If only he knew that on Earth during the 1950's there were numerous shows about Cowboys and Indians and the Cowboys used guns similar to what Vash was giving Chakotay. 

"You're serious, are you willing to die for her?" Chakotay asked getting the absolute assurance from Vash that he was willing to go through with this.

"Death is fine by me." Vash stated

Chakotay took the black Colt .45 and with Vash's free hand he took out his yellow lens John Lennon Style sunglasses. He looked at the gray Holodeck doors that took on a yellow tint to it. Vash also reached into his pockets and pulled out one cartridge and gave it to Chakotay.

"Each of us will have one cartridge of bullets, that makes 6 bullets in all. If and when each of us has run out of bullets then we will simply resort to fighting with our fists, understand?"

"Understood," Chakotay answered, "the program I choose for the Holodeck is the Starship Voyager. The way this duel will work is we will start at different points on Voyager. The restrictions are we can not use the computer to locate each other and we can't use the phasers in weapons storage." 

"I understand."

"Let's start."

The two warriors walked into the Holodeck, it was like walking through a wall between Starships. Once they were in the hallways of the Starship Enterprise-E, now they were inside the fluorescent light hallways of the Starship Voyager. They looked at each other with their guns in their hands and they turned their backs on each other and began walking.

With a sneer beginning to grow on his face, Chakotay turned around and looked at the red coated fool who was walking down the halls of Voyager. Chakotay quietly opened up the revolved and loaded the bullets in and without making a single sound he closed it. He aimed the gun at Vash's back, he pulled back the hammer quietly like a mouse over soft carpet and aimed at Vash. But as he reached for the trigger, he heard Vash's voice.

"You know," he called, "only a big fat rat would shoot a guy in the back."

Chakotay's face became nearly pale, Vash's back was turned but he seemed to hear everything that he did. But he dismissed it and aimed right at Vash's back, and was ready to pull the trigger. He knew in his heart that this violated some kind of Starfleet protocol, having a duel with a civilian, but this was for Seven so it must be right. As he pulled back the trigger, Vash dashed out of sight. Chakotay knew that the duel had begun, he ran right after Vash like a hunter on the prowl for elk or deer in the damp forest canyons of the wilderness.

Chakotay already had his weapon loaded and ready, he stalked each hallway looking for any signs of red. In a place like Voyagers hallways the color red will stand out extremely well to the human eye. His heart was pumping like a well-oiled machine as he came around the corner and saw a flash of red pass across the hallway. He reeled up his gun and fired at the flash or red, but he only saw the bullet hit the Holodeck wall and make ripples on the walls of the hallway like the surface of a lake. 

At the last moment that the last piece of red left the field of vision for Chakotay, he suddenly had an idea. He went to the nearest turbolift; he knew immediately where Vash was going. It was as if Chakotay had read Vash's mind before the battle started. 

****

Â 

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Enterprise-E, both the crew of the Enterprise and Voyager were watching this duel unfold. Though some were perplexed, others understood why they were fighting. 

They watched it all happen on the main view screen as if this were some sort of sadistic live television show. They watched these two about to kill each other. It wasn't anymore different then a group of men watching a wrestling match. However in this case, no one is cheering for either side, they were simply standing silent.

Data turned to Captain Picard and asked perplexed, "I'm confused, sir."

"Why data?"

"These two men are fighting over one woman, it doesn't seem to make sense to me."

Tuvok added his own Vulcan criticism, "It is illogical in the very least."

"On the contrary." Janeway interrupted, "It does make sense. The two of them love Seven deeply and madly. Both of them are willing to sacrifice anything for her."

Seven who stood on the far side of the Enterprise Bridge spoke up as if she needed to say something to this effect, "I take Data and Tuvok's side in this matter, Captain. I see no reason for them to fight each other over me. I'm going down to the Holodeck."

Seven turned and was about to head into the turbolift when the doctor blocked her path. She looked into his holographic eyes and saw that he understood why Chakotay and Vash were fighting. However the Doctor didn't want Seven to interfere with this fight.

"Let me go, Doctor." Seven asked

"I can't allow that Seven." The doctor said with a sympathetic face, "You'd simply be in the way of their fight."

"But they'll kill each other."  
The doctor then whispered, "I don't think they will, remember Vash was the one who didn't want to kill anyone else."

Seven suddenly had the idea of what Vash was going to do, it seemed odd but somehow it was making sense to her. She did understand why, however Data wasn't.

"I'm still perplexed, Captain, why are they fighting?"

Picard answered, "This is a variation on a theme, in which two men fight over the same woman. This happens a great deal of times in literature."

"Ah." Data realized, "A quarrel of love, only one can remain."

"Precisely, the question is who'll win this fight."

****

Â 

On the Holodeck, Chakotay entered Voyager's cargo bay 2. He knew that Vash would be coming to this place because in a way this was Seven's bedroom. He looked around in the half darkness of the cargo bay. Half of it was light in the white fluorescent light while in the darkness were spots of green coming from the alcove. They flashed green in a sickly hue that made Chakotay himself feel a little ill. 

"Vash!" He called, "I know you're in here. Where else would you go?"

All Chakotay could hear was the low hum of the alcove, but from the darkness Chakotay could hear a gun cocking. 

Click.

Chakotay held out his gun and pulled back the hammer and aimed where ever he could see. His eyes searched endlessly for the red coat, but in the midst of the contrast of white light and green-black darkness, he couldn't see him.

BANG!  
The bullet came out of Vash's gun and hit the wall near Chakotay's shoulder, Chakotay acted immediately and simply shot the gun. He didn't care where it went just as long as it would hit Vash. But he didn't hear any cries for pain coming from the darkness. 

If Chakotay's counting was right, he had used two bullets, so he's down to four while Vash only used one so he only has five. 

BANG!

Another shot came out of the darkness, and this time it hit near one of Chakotay's boots giving the same rippling effect across the holographic floor. Chakotay knew that this meant that both he and Vash only had four bullets left. He held out the black Colt .45 out and still searched the darkness for any sign of that coat. 

Within the darkness of the cargo bay, Vash was hiding among the boxes and barrels. He was constantly moving, he couldn't allow Chakotay to know where he is. If he did then the game is all over. He felt the sweat drops roll down his face as if he were in the steam room. He reached up to brush away the sweat with the sleeve of his red coat like a handkerchief. 

He dashed in the darkness to another container, and from behind the container, he could see Chakotay looking to Vash's left. However to Chakotay he was looking straight into the darkness. Vash saw this as a perfect opportunity; he silently cocked the hammer making sure that the click would be muffled. He wrapped a loose piece of his coat around the gun and cocked the hammer by feeling it through the material. So far Chakotay didn't move, he was still looking through the darkness, but Vash brought up his silver Colt .45. 

Before he took his aim Vash noticed that in the corner where he was sitting, there was a ladder up to the second level of the cargo bay. He figured that if he missed this shot he could jump up there and take up a higher vantage point. But he had to take this shot.

He aimed the Colt .45 at Chakotay and pulled the trigger.

BANG!  
The bullet flew out of the barrel and came close to hitting Chakotay's nose. It simply grazed him, but it felt as if a bee had stung him. Being mad, Chakotay took his gun and aimed it from where the sound came from.

Vash saw the danger and made the jump to the second level. Thankfully it was so dark in that corner that Chakotay was only shooting the darkness when he fired another bullet. 

That means that now both he and Vash were now down to three bullets each.

Meanwhile up on the second level of the cargo bay Vash was getting ready to take another shot at Chakotay. Actually he could have killed Chakotay anytime he wanted, but he was simply biding his time. He knew the Chakotay wasn't going to look up on the second level at least not yet, so now more than ever time was against Vash.

He lay his left arm down and propped the colt .45 on his left forearm like a tripod. He aimed at Chakotay.

BANG! BANG!

He fired two bullets down at Chakotay on both his left and right side. This time the bullets only grazed his left and right shoulder, ripping the material as it made its path through the air and down to the ground. 

Chakotay took his gun and aimed up at the second level, he knew where those sounds were coming from. This time he fired both bullets up there and he missed Vash, and now was the time. Both of them were down to just one bullet.

That left some questions in the mind of Chakotay, why did Vash only give six bullets for both of them to use?

The question was about to be answered as Vash got to his feet and jumped down right at Chakotay's left and brought up his silver Colt .45 to his face. So close that the muzzle was an inch away from Chakotay's nose.

"You're pretty quick, Vash." Chakotay complemented as he brought up the gun up into the same position. The two of them were now interlocked in a stalemate battle position where each of their guns was in each others face. At any moment one of them could pull the trigger and kill the other opponent beyond medical attention.

"Do you love her, Vash?" Chakotay asked

"Why are you asking that now?" Vash asked in response.

"It's important to this fight, if you didn't truly love her then this whole duel was pointless. So I ask again do you love her."

With the black Colt .45's muzzle a quarter inch away from Vash's face he could answer only from his heart, "Yes." He said, "I love her more than anything else that I have in my life. I'll tell you the truth Chakotay, I've lived for hundreds of years. My kind has that ability to live for a very long time, and in that time I've love three women including Seven. She means a great deal to me."

Chakotay gripped the gun tighter, "Like I said," he repeated, "You're simply a man from her past, what right do you have to come back into her life and expect some kind of love from her?"

"I don't expect her to love me forever." Vash answered, "I'm only asking her to love me for as long as she can. I love her because of her innocence towards life and her smile. Her smile fills me, in her I feel complete as if she was the missing half that I had been missing. But why do you love her?"

Chakotay gave his reasons, "I love her because I've come to know her as a woman. I've looked past everything. Harry Kim once said that there was a woman behind the Borg technology. It only takes a man with a good eye to look."

"Both of us have those eyes, Chakotay. My life was meaningful again because of her."

From behind the gun Chakotay's eyes narrowed, "How dare you do this. I'm sure that right now she's watching us. She's confused, she doesn't know which one of use to love, and you've complicated things just by being here."

Vash looked down to the ground, ignoring the gun, "Where else could I go?"

Chakotay took a few steps back still keeping the gun pointed at Vash, and Vash did the same thing, he took a step back with his gun pointed at Chakotay. 

The two of them stared down the barrel of each other's guns.

"How about you go to hell." Chakotay suggested

"You first!" Vash shouted

BANG!

Both of their guns fired at the same time, the bullets flew out like bats out of hell. Though the bullets didn't hit each other, they flew straight for their targets. Vash's last bullet hit Chakotay in his stomach and Chakotay's bullet hit Vash in his chest.

The two of them smiled at each other and they fell to the ground with their guns at their sides. This is how it ends or at least how it's going to begin, depending on one's point of view. Vash and Chakotay's duel had come to a draw, both of them lost and now the question is whether both or one of them will survive the bullet. Though there was an even bigger question, whom should Seven be with?

****

To be continued…

** Author's Notes:** This is the danger that I was talking about where Chakotay and Vash have to go head to head for the love of Seven of Nine. That is the really big question of this whole chapter. It is something that I myself have had a good deal of trouble with. 

Come back and see the concluding chapter, when the final decision is made.


	4. Love Hurts

****

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Star Trek Voyager, Trigun, or any other copyrighted information. All Copyrights belong to their respective owners. 

****

Reader's **Note:** This is a re-posting. 

Star Trek Voyager

&

Trigun

More Reminiscing

Chapter 4: Love Hurts

****

Â 

The enormous doors to the holodeck opened with their hydraulic hiss. In came a swarm of medical personal, two doctors and a squadron of nurses. They gathered around Vash the Stampede and Commander Chakotay.

The Doctor examined Chakotay, while Dr. Crusher examined Vash. They ran their scans over their bodies. The medical tricorders were bringing in the reports of what had happened to Chakotay and Vash.

Nothing.

The doctor narrowed one eye and made a confused sneer, "What the hell?" He asked

Dr. Crusher heard the Doctor's words as she looked at the medical tricorder readings. She gave a similar look. She looked over at the doctor while holding her medical tricorder in her hand. The Doctor looked over at her and both had that same look of confusion at their tricorder readings.

"Perfect Health." The Doctor stated

"Same here." Dr. Crusher agreed, "What the hell were these two doing?"

The doctor looked along the floor of the holographic recreation of Voyager's Cargo bay 2. He looked along the floor like a detective searching the scene of a murder. Along the floor like a small pin that someone had dropped, the doctor found it. HE found the piece of evidence that would explain why the patients were like this. 

It was a bullet, a bullet that was fired fresh out of the cylinder and through the barrel. Yet it wasn't smoking from the friction of the barrel. It lay on the floor like a chip off of a marble statue. The Doctor picked it up and looked at it with Dr. Crusher and the medical teams still confused to what happened. 

The bullet looked just like any other one for Vash's guns, but there was something different about this one. The tip, it was black instead of the usual silver look, which was only lead, of Vash's other bullets. The doctor felt the tip against his fingers and it was warm and soft. He squeezed it and the bullet was rubber.

"Rubber bullets." The doctor stated

Dr. Crusher closed up her medical tricorder, "What the hell were these two doing?" She asked.

****

Â 

Under the bright fluorescent lights of the sickbay, Voyager's Doctor and Dr. Crusher were watching over the unconscious Vash and Chakotay. Both Doctors knew that they were in good health but neither one was woken up, at least just yet. All that can be done is simply monitor them.

The sickbay doors opened and in walked Seven of Nine, the first sickbay visitor for Chakotay and Vash. Her eyes were wide and concerned for both men lying side by side in the biobeds. Around them, the Doctor and Dr. Crusher still examined the two gunslingers.

"Are they damaged?" Seven asked

The Doctor walked over to Seven, "They're fine, they're just unconscious."

Seven's eyes looked towards the biobeds and then back towards the doctor, "Can I speak to you in private?"

The doctor nodded and lead Seven into a more closed off part of sick bay, Dr. Crusher's "office". The doctor was ever so curious as to why Seven wanted to speak to him privately. He did know that Seven would speak to him privately when a personal matter was involved. 

"What's wrong, Seven?" He asked concerned

Seven didn't answer, she fidgeted as if she was desperately trying to find the answers.

"I am…" She paused, "having difficulty with this event."

"I know Seven, but how so?"  
"I am confronted with a choice, Vash a man from my past or Chakotay a man I have grown to love."

The Doctor shrugged, "I can't give you an answer Seven. Only you can make that choice. All I can say is you already know the answer, you just have to find it. Do what your heart says, don't rely on your Borg mind."

Seven reluctantly nodded and left sickbay. 

The doctor watched her leave and he whispered, "Good luck, Seven."

****

Â 

Ten-Forward;

Seven sat at the bar while the crewmembers of the Enterprise and Voyager mixed and mingled with each other. Even though the Voyager crew didn't stare at Seven, the Enterprise crew members did. Some caught a staring glance at Seven wondering. They wondered whether it was even safe to be around this "former" Borg drone. 

Seven on the other hand didn't pay attention to anything around her. She had too much on her mind to wonder about what kind of idol gossip was going on around her. She simply sat staring at the slightly reflective surface of the bar counter top. 

Down the bar at the other end was the old and wise Guinan. She kept looking at Seven wondering what was on her mind. She had been around the Borg drone Hugh, but never one that was a former collective member. How would she approach her? Guinan's own simply answer could only be to approach Seven of Nine like any other customer of her bar. She walked over to Seven and said, "You look like you need someone to talk to."

Seven looked up at Guinan and for the first time Guinan was speaking directly to a woman who only a few short years ago had Borg implants all over her body.

Seven tried to find the words and found them, "I do." She said softly

"This is about Vash and Chakotay, isn't it?"

Seven became curious, "How did you know about that?"

Guinan answered with a smile, "Vash told me."  
"Who are you and what do you know about Vash?"

Guinan leaned against the bar, "I'm Guinan, I tend bar and I listen. With Vash, he and I go back a long time. We first met on Earth a little after the maiden voyager of the Enterprise-B. At first I thought that he was the biggest goofball I had ever met. Then I got to know him and I found that he had a wonderful sense of humor. I also found what great devotion he had to preserving life. Even under the gravest of circumstances, he won't kill anyone. He told me about his past friends he had and the women he loved."

Seven realized something about this, "The Enterprise-B?" She asked, "That was nearly a hundred years ago. Are you saying that Vash is that old?"

Guinan smiled, "Vash's age is a sensitive subject with him. HE said that after the first 200 years, he lost count so it's hard to say how old he is. Yet he doesn't look a day over 25 doesn't he?"

"Yes." Seven agreed.

"In that time." Guinan continued, "He only love two women. Including you, it would be three."

"It is a long time to spend alone."

"It is." Guinan paused and offered Seven her own advice, "I know your difficulty. Let me share a secret with you about love. No one can tell you who you love, just you can do that. The choice will be up to you."  
"Who are you?" Seven asked again

"Like I said," Guinan repeated, "I am Guinan. I tend bar and I listen." She walked away to tend to orders, to drinks and whatever else anyone in Ten-Forward ordered. 

Seven was left to think about the advice that was given to her by the Doctor and this bartender named Guinan. ON the one hand there was Chakotay. A man who had freed her from the collective, brought her onto the duty roster for Voyager, and Seven has grown to love Chakotay, yet her heart was confused.

IN the other hand she has Vash the Stampede. A man from her past that didn't seem to matter anymore to her in the time that Vash came back and the time they met up again here around Earth. Vash did save her from the Borg only once before capturing her again. Now, the memories and the man are back. In the past and now she loved him and Vash loves her, but so does Chakotay. Only Vash is in his own war with the Borg and his life is too dangerous to share. Seven's place is on Voyager. Still, who shall be hers, Vash or Chakotay?

She looked towards the ever-changing wall of Ten-Forward. She had mer her decision, letting the poor man know is going to be the hard part. 

****

Â 

Personal Log: Vash the Stampede

I spent the last 16 years searching the galaxy for Anika Hansen. TO a human 16 years is a long time to wait, but it's an even longer time to search. In that time I had found her again but now I've gotten myself into an endless war against the race known as the Borg. After the massive destruction I've caused I brought myself to Earth to face Starfleet and instead of punishment, they gave me a job to protect all life against the Borg. 

Not only that but I have crossed paths with Voyager again. I found that Anika/Seven has chosen another man over me. Even though this other man had a duel with me. In that duel we both lost, yet one of us had to win the heart of Seven and I lost her again. This time it wasn't to the Borg, it was simply to another man, Commander Chakotay. 

I can't change a woman's mind; all I can do is simply keep moving. 

I've met great people on the ships Enterprise-E and Voyager. All good people whom I've come to know, but my travels must take me elsewhere. 

I've even taken back Hugh to his colony and there he will bring those who have left the collective to be individuals. They will know what it is like to be free again, to be a person once again with no control or regulations over their minds. Anything will be possible with them. 

I am sad that I've lost Seven all over again, but if there's one thing that this long life has taught me is that I have to keep moving. I have a new purpose now; I am Vash the Stampede, a hunter of peace and a protector against the Borg. With my black and silver guns, I will keep moving, because the ticket to the future is always blank. 

****

The End.

** Author's Notes:** The final decision is made, Vash the Stampede has left Seven of Nine in favor of her happiness with Chakotay. He knew that he would simply be in the way, and besides his job now is to be at the outer rims of Federation Space making sure that the Borg stays at bay. All his life Vash didn't want to harm a soul and now he has to kill Borg in order for the peaceful races of the galaxy to survive. 

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